CH 125

Act 19

SCENE #5. EXCHANGING SMALL TALK

INT. 3RD FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM IN XX CENTER, ILSAN, GYEONGGI PROVINCE

Date: September 7

Cast: NAHOON KIM, MINA PARK, SIYOUNG HAN, ARAM NOH, SAEUN JOO

NAHOON. Now isn’t that creepy? Do you feel chilly now?

MINA. I didn’t think we would still be exchanging these kinds of stories in September.

NAHOON. We had some sweltering heat this summer. Maybe that had something to do with all the events this past season.

MINA. You’re right. If we’re talking about news, there’s that big one.

NAHOON. You must be talking about the disbandment of the male idol group Lunatic. Two of their members had gone missing.

MINA. Their agency stated that they one-sidedly disappeared without notice.

NAHOON. Whatever the case may be, I hope nothing bad happened.

SIYOUNG. I hope they return soon, at least for their fans.

NAHOON. I am a bit worried though. There are so many people in the entertainment world that they often fall completely off the radar once we lose touch.

ARAM. Isn’t there a weird rumor circulating on the internet about that?

SIYOUNG. I’ve heard about it too—the celebrity abduction cases.

NAHOON. What’s that all about?

MINA, raising her hand. I’ve heard about it too. They trick minor celebrities into thinking they’re being called for a shoot, but they get sold to a human-trafficking ring overseas, right?

NAHOON. Human trafficking?

SAEUN. Apparently, they take those celebrities to the remote countryside or an island and make them shoot shady videos.

NAHOON. Ach, I know the 19+ version of that.

All jeer at Nahoon.

MINA. This program is rated G for all ages.

NAHOON. Anyways, so that’s the new myth that’s been going around.

SAEUN. Not only did they have to film something completely different from the contract they signed because they needed money, but I also heard it was related to gang activity, so it’s difficult to escape.

NAHOON. What do they do with the videos?

SIYOUNG. They sell them to the rich. They still have some name value, so apparently, the rich enjoy the fact that these celebrities listen to their ridiculous requests.

NAHOON. Now that’s perverted.

MINA. Thank goodness it’s just an urban legend. It probably doesn’t happen in real life, right?

ARAM. Oh, speaking of which, I’ve heard something similar before.

NAHOON. What’s it about?

ARAM. You know, they started filming the movie based on the mansion with 101 doors, right?

MINA. Right, I knew it was popular, but I didn’t know they were making a movie out of it.

All agree.

ARAM. But I heard in passing that in July, there was a rumor that it was a TV show instead of a movie.

NAHOON. There was a rumor like that?

ARAM. Yes, so I looked into it, but it seemed like someone spread misinformation about the movie. Rumors really aren’t to be trusted.

MINA. They say they put in a lot of time, money, and effort from the beginning stages of the movie. I’ve heard they bought an uninhabited island in another country.

SIYOUNG. I’m looking forward to it.

NAHOON. The shoot starts tomorrow, and I hope that everyone involved in the production stays well throughout their endeavor.

* * *

I had a dream.

It was a dream about wandering a dark mansion. Where was the exit? After wandering around, I found a doorless room. However, I couldn’t bring myself to enter. A breeze drifted in from the glowing, gold door. Even so, I couldn’t go toward it.

So, I simply sat in the darkness and waited for people to come in from outside.

People were wandering the hallways. They were in a similar situation as me.

However, their hopes and wishes were different from mine. Unlike me, who wanted kindness and warmth from others, they wished to come back to life. They also wished to escape this place. “You’ll die if you go inside a room. You’ll still die if you go outside,” I told them, but they didn’t listen to me and merely roamed the hallway while sobbing sorrowfully—all while lamenting why they had to end up here.

The mansion I lived in was one that devoured people.

At first—yes, that was right—I liked that people found their way to me. I told them I would give back their lives. They smiled. I asked them to share their kindness and their warmth with me. They shed tears and said they gladly would.